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Cynthia Michaels

Cross Roads

Synopsis

After losing his prominent job, Benjamin Cross packs up his little trailer and moves to Wind River, a small fly-fishing town in Idaho where he plans on spending a few months recouping with his friends.
He arrives to find that Cue and Katie, the owners of a bar and grill located on the banks of the Snake River are in a power struggle with the proprietor of the prestigious hotel next to them. Ben puts his efforts toward helping them, unaware of the lengths some will go to get what they want.
Sex, greed, and murder take over the lives of Wind River’s residents, and soon, it becomes fuzzy who can be trusted.
Twists and turns will keep you reading this thriller, with the colorful small town characters surprising you when you thought you had it all figured out. And when you’re finished, you will be left wanting more, not realizing the colossal damages that greed and lust have done to affect the future of your new friends, the residents of Wind River.

Author Biography

C. Michaels is from the Pacific NW but now lives in Mexico with her Chow Chow, Rani. Michaels' writes thrillers with twisty plots that tease the reader until the end. Her books, Cross Roads and NO FEAR! are a series that follow the hotel owner, Templeton from Idaho in Cross Roads, where greed drives evil people, to Mazatlan, Mx in NO FEAR!, 25 years later where that past greed is reborn with a killer on the loose. Her latest novel, Bill of Human Wrongs is a frightening political thriller that has been compared to a Rod Serling story. C. Michaels has always had a love for the arts, in both writing and painting, finding Mazatlan's Paradise the perfect place to work. Her books are character driven, and will easily draw you into their crazy zany world, a place where for some, there are no scruples or decency.
Michaels is excited about the release of her new political thriller, Bill of Human Wrongs, now on available on Amazon.

Book Excerpt

Cross Roads

Ben woke with the light coming through the window and was
angry to see that he was alone. She knows that we have to get on the road,
damn her. He climbed out of bed and grabbed his clothes. In minutes, he was
headed down the stairs with a mission to find Gloria. When he walked into the
bar, he saw her across the table from Cue, the two of them in conversation over
coffee.

Taking a deep breath, he worked to calm himself.

Cue looked up at his friend. “Grab a cup of coffee and join
us. Gloria had an interesting night and is sharing the experience.”

Still angry, he took his place next to her. “So, how was it
with the old man? Is this guy going to leave Sticks alone now?Did you give him a heart attack?”

Gloria leaned over to kiss him. “You’re hurt that I left you
and that makes me feel warm and tingly all over.” She made a shudder action
with her body and raised her hands to her face as if to cool her cheeks. “Oh,
Ben, you should have come with me last night. The crowd was loud and happy, so
many friendly people. I’ve changed my mind about this place, I think it’s way
more fun than Rock Creek.” She took a sip of coffee.

“Why you ungrateful little b..”

“Hey, hold your tongue, she’s playing with you. Come on,
Gloria. Tell him what you were telling me.” Cue clenched his hands around his
coffee cup.

She smiled at him and then turned to Ben. “Look, you guys
spent most of yesterday cryin’ about bad ‘ol Templeton and how he’s ruining
this place. Did you ever think about checkin’ out his formula to help you come
up with a plan? Ben, I really don’t know if I like you anymore, by the way.”
She stretched her arm across the table, cupping her hand over Cue’s. “My dear
Cue, we can beat this, and I’m not just talkin’, I have some ideas that will
help.”

Ben was shocked over what he was witnessing but decided to
play along, in spite of his distrust of the woman. “Ok, give Cue your ideas
fast, because we have to leave, I want to get back before it’s late.”

Cue’s and Gloria’s eyes met for a moment. Cue was the first
to let him in on their secret. “Listen, Ben. Things can change, as you well
know. Gloria’s going to move into the trailer out back, and stay to help out
with the place.” He sat back in his chair and waited for his friend to protest.

There was a short silence before Ben responded, careful to
keep his eyes on Cue. “You are aware that this woman is manipulative, aren’t
you? She’s self- centered, and certainly not interested in helping anyone but
herself. She likes to be pampered, so it makes sense that she’d be in
Templeton’s court.Why in the hell would
you think she wants to help you?”

“I can see that I’ve made quite an impression on you, Ben,
and by the way, you really know how to charm a lady.” She was showing no sign
of being hurt. Instead, she seemed to be mocking him.